---
name: hydrogen-desktop
description: >
  Install, launch, and operate Hydrogen Desktop — the full Adom Hydrogen workspace as a
  native signed Windows app (local VS Code + Claude Code + Gallia hardware-design skills +
  desktop bridge). Use when the user wants to install Hydrogen Desktop, stage the Windows
  installer, understand the first-run setup cascade, or troubleshoot a workspace that won't
  come up. Trigger words: hydrogen desktop, install hydrogen desktop, HD installer, native
  hydrogen app, windows hydrogen, adom desktop workspace, first-run setup, workspace not ready.
---

# Hydrogen Desktop (operate)

Hydrogen Desktop is the entire Adom Hydrogen experience as **one signed Windows app** that runs a
complete workspace **locally** on the user's machine: VS Code, Claude Code, the Gallia
hardware-design skills, and a desktop bridge to local tools (KiCad, Fusion 360, Puppeteer).

> **Platform: Windows only.** The shipped artifact is a signed `.exe`. Installing this package on a
> Linux/WSL2 container only **stages** the installer — it cannot run it there.

## Install (stage the signed installer)

```
adompkg install adom/hydrogen-desktop
```

This copies `Hydrogen.Desktop_<version>_x64-setup.exe` into `~/Downloads`. Move it to a Windows
machine and run it. The installer is signed by **Adom Industries, Inc.** (recognized by Windows
SmartScreen).

## First run (one-time setup cascade)

On first launch HD stands up the local workspace automatically:

1. **Adom sign-in** — HD opens the user's native browser to the Adom sign-in/approve page. One
   approval and the session is captured. (If the browser isn't signed in, the user signs in once.)
2. **Claude authorization** — same native-browser flow for Claude Code.
3. **Workspace provisioning** — HD enables WSL2 if needed (**one Windows restart**), imports the
   Adom workspace image locally, then starts VS Code, Claude Code, the relay, and the desktop bridge.

Done = the setup panel shows **"Your workspace is ready"** with green checks. Subsequent launches are
fast (the workspace is already local).

## Requirements

- Windows 10/11 x64.
- WSL2 (HD enables it on first run — that step requires one restart).
- An Adom account.

## Troubleshooting

- **A setup step failed (red in the panel):** open the setup panel and re-run that step; the cascade
  is resumable.
- **"Your workspace is ready" never appears:** the most common cause is the WSL2-enable restart not
  having happened yet — restart Windows once, relaunch HD, and the cascade continues.
- **Sign-in didn't auto-complete:** make sure the user's browser is signed in to adom.inc (and
  claude.ai), then re-trigger the sign-in step.

## What it is / isn't

- It **is** the full local Hydrogen workspace — no cloud container, no browser tab.
- The Adom login is **identity only**; the dev environment (VS Code, Claude, tools) runs locally in
  a WSL2 Linux distro on the user's own machine.

For the source, build pipeline, and signing process (Adom employees only), see the private
`adom/hydrogen-desktop-dev` page.